The present invention relates to microcomputers, or personal computers, as well as larger computers, and is particularly concerned with improving the freedom of movement of the users of such computers and enhancing the possibilities of sharing of a single computer system by a plurality of users.
While computers having a full range of capabilities have grown progressively smaller, even the smallest full-feature computer currently on the market is installed and used at a single work location.
A special class of computers, laptops, offers the advantage of freeing the user from their work station and allowing the computer to be transported and used anywhere. Of course, this freedom and flexibility of use are at the expense of important operating features, most notably storage capacity and display capability, and secondarily memory capacity. Because of limitations involving the relation between storage and memory capacities and cost, available laptops can run only a limited number of the available business and scientific programs or are extremely expensive.
It is also known in the art to interconnect, or network, a number of computers, by cable or wireless links, to facilitate the exchange of data and programs between users and to allow sharing of peripherals. However, this technique involves the interconnection of complete computers which normally remain at fixed locations.
Up to the present, there has been no system which would allow the user to move easily and quickly from one location to another while enjoying all of the operating capabilities of a full-size microcomputer, although such a system would be quite desirable in many situations.